This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Germantown Then & Now: Life in a War Zone

There was a huge sigh of relief when the soldiers left Germantown at the end of the Civil War.

Where in the world do you think you would be if you had nightly curfews, checkpoints with military passes required, no right to trial by jury, no freedom of speech, and no right to carry arms? Where would you be if your elected representatives could be arrested and imprisoned?

You would be right here in Germantown 150 years ago.

Because Maryland was a slave state and lay north of the Union capitol, President Abraham Lincoln imposed martial law between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia in April, 1861. Montgomery County was particularly targeted because it bordered both the Northern capitol and the Southern state of Virginia. Also, Lincoln had received only 50 votes in the county in the 1860 election. Even though Maryland never seceded from the Union, this area especially was filled with secessionists. Almost 200 men from the county would end up fighting on the side of the South. At least six of these were from what we now know as Germantown (and at least four fought for the Union).

Find out what's happening in Germantownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The military occupation began in the spring of 1861 when all firearms were collected from the local home guards and they were disbanded. A Provost Marshall’s office was established on the fairgrounds in Rockville (site of Richard Montgomery High School today) where people could report suspicious activity and where those arrested were taken for questioning. Curfews were established, checkpoints set up, and a pass was needed to enter Washington, D.C.

Southern-leaning state delegates who were meeting in an impromptu session in Frederick, Md., in September 1861 were arrested by the military and imprisoned, some for the duration of the war. The Maryland General Assembly, left without a quorum, was then powerless.

Find out what's happening in Germantownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Before the military could identify which individuals favored the North or the South, all people were treated the same and everyone was under suspicion. Houses were searched indiscriminately, and men, women and children, rich and poor, white and black, were brought in for questioning. Once loyalties were established, the watch was mainly concentrated on those citizens with known Southern sympathies. On occasion, the military even resorted to sending spies to infiltrate organizations and homes in the county. Informants were paid handsomely.

One anonymous informant, in a letter to the local military command, said:

“…several of our citizens hold communications with them {the Rebels} and are raising money and buying clothing to be smuggled across the river for the use of their rebel friends. Among the most prominent are Matthew Fields, George Peter, John L. Dufief, John Gassaway and Joseph A. Taney…..Should you deem this charge of such a character to have these men arrested upon, let the officer in charge wear a piece of red flannel on the front of his cap, and I will communicate any other information that may come from time to time.”

John Gassaway and Joseph Taney were from Germantown and they were arrested and held in the Old Capitol Prison in Washington for a few days until their attorney was able to have them released on taking an oath of allegiance to the Union. Eden Gloyd and William Musser of Germantown were also arrested. A fifth Germantown resident, Henry Waring, was mentioned in the diary of the Confederate spy Walter Bowie: “4 Jan. ’63 – Dined at Henry Waring’s.” Waring and Musser both had sons in the Confederate forces.

On the 1865 map it can be seen that Waring, Musser, Gloyd and Taney were neighbors, and that Gassaway lived less than a mile away. It would have been easy for these men to meet and plan strategies, and arrange contacts and lines of communication. There may have been others involved as well.

Even those who tried to remain neutral or stay out of the conflict were affected. Innocent people were also sometimes arrested, by mistake or on purpose to prevent future action. Gangs of criminals roamed the countryside stealing horses and robbing institutions, taking advantage of the situation to try to place the blame on Confederate raiders. Mr. Adler’s  General Store in Germantown was robbed twice. One of those times the perpetrators unsuccessfully tried to burn the store down.

Because this was a rural area with many small farms, and most people, even in town, had chickens and kitchen gardens, the people of Germantown always had flour, milk and fresh vegetables and fruit in season during the War.  But they suffered the same privation as others when it came to such things as sugar, coffee, medicines and meat.

There was a huge sigh of relief when the soldiers left at the end of the war and everyone tried to heal the divisions and get back to normal life. But life had changed and some divisions would never be healed. Life in Germantown, as in the rest of the nation, would never be the same.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?